iPhone-compatible porn sites targeted by Apple in domain name dispute
Apple has taken aim at a number of dot-com domain names featuring the word iPhone that sell pornography, including the website iphone4s.com.
A total of seven domains featuring hardcore pornography have been targeted by Apple in a new complaint filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization. As noted by Domain Name Wire, all of the sites feature the word iPhone, but perhaps the most troubling is the iphone4s.com website, which features the same name as Apple's latest handset.
The owners of the respective sites are unknown, as the domain names are protected by a privacy service shielding their "Whois" information. The Whois protocol stores the contact information for domain names on the Internet.
The iphone4s.com was originally registered in August of 2008, more than three years before Apple unveiled its iPhone 4S. The domain name for Apple's previous iPhone model, iphone4.com, is owned by Apple, while iphone3gs.com and iphone3g.com forward to non-Apple sites.
Other domains targeted by Apple include names like "iphonecamforce," "iphonecam4s," and "porn4iphones."
The World Intellectual Property Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. WIPO, along with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, have developed rules for resolving domain name ownership disputes. That process is known as the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, and it applies to top-level domains including .com, .net, and .org.
Apple has turned to WIPO before for domain name disputes. This July, the organization ordered that the domain name ipods.com be transferred to Apple, and the website now forwards to Apple's official iPod page.
In other cases, Apple has turned to its checkbook to obtain domains for new products. For example, earlier this year Apple bought icloud.com from Swedish cloud computing company Xcerion for a rumored price of $4.5 million.
A total of seven domains featuring hardcore pornography have been targeted by Apple in a new complaint filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization. As noted by Domain Name Wire, all of the sites feature the word iPhone, but perhaps the most troubling is the iphone4s.com website, which features the same name as Apple's latest handset.
The owners of the respective sites are unknown, as the domain names are protected by a privacy service shielding their "Whois" information. The Whois protocol stores the contact information for domain names on the Internet.
The iphone4s.com was originally registered in August of 2008, more than three years before Apple unveiled its iPhone 4S. The domain name for Apple's previous iPhone model, iphone4.com, is owned by Apple, while iphone3gs.com and iphone3g.com forward to non-Apple sites.
Other domains targeted by Apple include names like "iphonecamforce," "iphonecam4s," and "porn4iphones."
The World Intellectual Property Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. WIPO, along with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, have developed rules for resolving domain name ownership disputes. That process is known as the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, and it applies to top-level domains including .com, .net, and .org.
Apple has turned to WIPO before for domain name disputes. This July, the organization ordered that the domain name ipods.com be transferred to Apple, and the website now forwards to Apple's official iPod page.
In other cases, Apple has turned to its checkbook to obtain domains for new products. For example, earlier this year Apple bought icloud.com from Swedish cloud computing company Xcerion for a rumored price of $4.5 million.
Comments
The other site names are whatever, but iPhone4s should definately be transferred to apple, as I can see quite a few people ending up on the site and that makes for a good case of domain abuse.
Ps iPhone forse better be a geeky porn site.
Apple has taken aim at a number of dot-com domain names featuring the word iPhone that sell pornography, including the website iphone4s.com.
Generally, the test is consumer confusion when dealing with trademark issues. And generally, the first to use a mark has rights in it, with many more rights going to the company that registers first.
But given the strength of the iPhone mark, Apple could go after them for dilution, specifically tarnishment, which is reserved for certain extremely strong marks. I think "iPhone" easily qualifies as a strong mark.
At least we know what the S stands for now - Sex.
Haha that will be perminantly associates in my head now.
I'm also thinking about opening up a few porn sites targeting Android users, because I don't want them to be left out. It will feature poor people with no money having sex and women selling themselves for $4.99. There will also be a section featuring horses getting it on with midgets who hate Apple.
Have you heard the latest story? Now that Steve Jobs is gone, Apple is acquiring new domains such as porn4iphones.com. I look forward to next year's iDevice unveiling.
mobile.xshare.com
is safe for now.
Iphone4s.com redirects to a porn site? I tried iphone5.com and it sends to to iPhone 5 rumor site it seems. There's another reason apple should have called it iPhone 5.
The other site names are whatever, but iPhone4s should definately be transferred to apple, as I can see quite a few people ending up on the site and that makes for a good case of domain abuse.
Ps iPhone forse better be a geeky porn site.
Can't Apple just buy the domain name from the current owners? It was registered 3 years ago, an although they are obviously trolls nothing stopped Apple from registering the address in advance.
It's high time someone took a harsh stand against those smut peddlers!
Who the hell would want to watch porn on an iPhone?
People who are too poor to afford an iPad?
Can't Apple just buy the domain name from the current owners? It was registered 3 years ago, an although they are obviously trolls nothing stopped Apple from registering the address in advance.
Why pay the market price when you can take the average joe to court, beat him down with legal costs, and force him to give it up for much less.
At least from the patent lawsuits and ones like this we know that Apple will never sponsor an anti-bullying conference/rally/anything.
Can't Apple just buy the domain name from the current owners? It was registered 3 years ago, an although they are obviously trolls nothing stopped Apple from registering the address in advance.
Litigation is horrendously expensive. My guess is that Apple has already tried to buy it, or at least thought about buying it, but has determined that litigation will be a better path towards a successful resolution.
It may also be that they have a policy against buying domain names in these situations, because that could encourage squatting, rather than diminishing it.
If they had a policy of paying the squatters money, they would end up buying every combination of "iphone4___.com" in the dictionary.
Likely it is better/cheaper to just blow them out of the water, leaving them a rusting hulk, rather than supplying them with capital for their next voyage.
Why pay the market price when you can take the average joe to court, beat him down with legal costs, and force him to give it up for much less.
At least from the patent lawsuits and ones like this we know that Apple will never sponsor an anti-bullying conference/rally/anything.
Many people at Apple have been involved in the "it gets better campaign". It's an anti bullying campaign. It's not a conference or rally but I think it fits the anti-bullying anything requirement of your post.
People who are too poor to afford an iPad?
Plus 1. The iPad makes these sites a nice viewable size. No SQUINTING
Porn's bad mkay?
That issue is moot and is being mentioned only because it will garner hits.
The issue is that iPhone is a trademarked term and thus Apple not only can get the sites use of the term shut down, they have a legal obligation to do so. If you don't protect a trademark and vigorously from all offenders then the courts can see it as a sign that you just don't care about the trademark and dissolve it.
Many folks outside of IP lawyers and law students don't know it but aspirin was once a trademark. but the company didn't defend it and now it has become a generic term. Same thing almost happened to Xerox but they did defend it and saved themselves just in time. And so on.
Many of these lawsuits you see by Apple over tablets with a similar look are likely due to the same 'you must protect' issue. They might think that a tablet isn't really a copy but what would the courts say when someone comes along and says "but NT-K (or whomever) copied the iPad and Apple didn't care about it". They can't take the risk that the court would toss out a blatant copy over the fact that they didn't act against someone that was only copying an element or two.
I'll take it upon myself to promptly check out these sites rather than take the media's word for it. We must remain vigilant in our skepticism of the press.
I agree, and will be personally conducting extensive research into these sites this evening.
About 10 minutes of extensive research to be precise!
Why pay the market price when you can take the average joe to court, beat him down with legal costs, and force him to give it up for much less.
At least from the patent lawsuits and ones like this we know that Apple will never sponsor an anti-bullying conference/rally/anything.
Because Apple does not want the iPhone name linked with porn venders who are clearly using the popularity of the brand to lure in people who may have no need or interest for porn. Apple has every right to keep it's name clean and not associated with porn which is a controversial subject that they need no part of.
You don't have proof that they did not try to buy the names legally anyway. It's easy to call he big companies bullies when you have no idea what they have tried before going to court. But hey they are big and rich and somebody else is spreading smut with their name, clearly Apple is the bully in this one.
I look forward to next year's iDevice unveiling.
Maybe they'll write it with a capital i